As any significant awards ceremony draws close, there’s always an outcry for introducing of new categories to acknowledge overlooked contributions and satisfy the spirits of followers with niche passions.
My colleague made the case supporting a scary games classification. That would rule. So would board games, representing a dedicated supporter's campaign. Yet I need to apologize in advance if I try to elbow in front since similar to single-minded supporters, I have a cast-iron argument supporting my request is the most urgent and important of all. This is the request: It's essential to create a category for puzzle games.
Organizing Gaming Categories
Categorizing art by genre isn't exact; it remains highly personal, and typically spark debates and end in fuzzy definitions. It's understandable that movie academies steer clear of genre categories. However, it represents a necessary evil in the world of gaming, showing incredible range they hardly constitute one unified medium.
For comprehensive acknowledgment of gaming accomplishments to be recognized, and for games of all stripes to compete fairly, specific award classifications remain vital.
Existing Game Classification System
The major gaming awards offer these genre categories for Action, Adventure-action titles, RPG experiences, Fighting, Sim/Strategy, plus athletic and racing experiences. Collectively, these award types actually cover numerous genres, and you can find room accommodating various experiences.
This doesn't apply to logic-based experiences. No suitable classification appears to put them. Consider three of outstanding current releases, all very different: structural challenges in a particular game, fast-paced pattern recognition of another game, and the sweetly sociological logic puzzles from additional release. Where could they possibly go within current classifications? Nowhere, that’s where.
Acknowledgment Issues
There are dozens of brilliant puzzle games published annually without proper recognition at major award shows, except when they manage to fit classification types such as Handheld titles, VR/AR Game, or the intensely contested Indie races.
- A renowned logic title got overlooked completely that year
- Another imaginative release was excluded that year
- Well-received sorting experience got ignored recently
- Just some brain-teasers barely qualified for small studio or handheld classifications
Significance of Puzzle Games
Commonly they're compact experiences, however the design in brain-teasers carries substantial weight. Iconic mobile puzzle games count as most popular titles globally maintaining this status for an extended period.
The iconic tile-matching title rivals famous sandbox experiences claiming status as best-selling game of all time; it additionally competes for best game of all time. Puzzle games are foundational for gaming as medium, while interacting with diverse game types.
Recommendation and Reasoning
Logic titles wouldn't face this problem. You could fill five nominees with fascinating, diverse, deserving games every year with ease — or rather, with difficulty, since numerous excellent many worthy titles.
And to reiterate, these include experiences that otherwise have no home at major gaming awards. Puzzle game makers operate at the demanding boundary of video game design, creating some of most fundamental forms of gaming itself. Comparable to cinema stunt performers, they deserve recognition. Don't make them wait generations.
